


This can't wait

by themagnificentquack



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: D.A. Laurel Lance, Drunkenness, F/F, Implied/Referenced Sex, no offense to security guards, season 7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:01:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25435054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themagnificentquack/pseuds/themagnificentquack
Summary: laurel asks dinah for help with a case, they hang, they drink, they vibe. then they wake up in the morning like what up lets fuck we're in love
Relationships: Dinah Drake/Earth-2 Laurel Lance, Earth-2 Laurel Lance & Felicity Smoak (Mentioned)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 40





	This can't wait

**Author's Note:**

> i've never actually drank alcohol before so if it doesn't make any sense feel free to laugh at me in the comments

Laurel hurried over to where Dinah was ordering a coffee from the food stand near their offices. She'd spotted her on her way into work and seized the opportunity to ask her a favor.

"Hey Dinah," she said cheerily.

Dinah dropped her change in the tip jar and glanced over.

"How can I help you?" she asked professionally, foregoing a greeting.

Not a great start.

"I could use a fresh pair of eyes on the McArthur case, the testimonies aren't adding up," Laurel said.

Dinah took a sip of her coffee and glanced at her watch.

"I've got meetings all day, can I drop by your office around 7?" shed asked.

Laurel winced. She hesitated for a moment before saying, '"Do you mind coming by my apartment instead? I know it's a big ask but one of the guards on the night shift won't stop hitting on me and if he tells me he can "Teach me how to lose control" one more time I'm going to snap his neck."

Dinah looked alarmed and Laurel instantly backtracked, realizing what she'd just said.

"I'm not actually going to kill him, I just want to," she explained.

Dinah raised an eyebrow (which Laurel definitely didn't find sexy) and said, "You're not helping your case." 

"Sorry," Laurel mumbled. "Apparently I respond to fear with anger."

"You really expect me to believe you're afraid of some security guard?" Dinah asked.

Laurel shrugged. "It's irrational. Leftover anxiety from my previous, ah... career path," she said, acutely aware of the people all around them.

"Looks like Felicity managed to get you into therapy," Dinah observed, noticing Laurel's newfound self-awareness.

Laurel shifted, uncomfortable.

"Look I'm late for work," she said, suddenly eager to escape the conversation. "Can you help me out with the case or not?"

Dinah stared at her for a long moment before saying, "I'll be there at 7:30."

Then she was gone and Laurel was just standing there, heart beating rapidly.

It was impossible to have a conversation with Dinah without it becoming stressful.

There was something nice about it too, but Laurel didn't want to think about that.

\--------

Laurel got home that night just after six. It was earlier than usual as she tended to work late, but tonight was different. Dinah was coming over which for some reason (that Laurel knew but refused to admit) meant she had to clean her entire fucking apartment.

Then she called Felicity and panicked for twenty minutes about all of the horrible potential outcomes.

Felicity laughed at loud when Laurel asked, "What should I wear?"

"You're like a kid with a crush," she said.

"Shut up, I do not like her," Laurel replied instantly.

There was silence for the other side and she relented quickly.

"Okay fine, I like her. Now tell me what to wear."

"Just wear something you feel good in," Felicity said honestly.

Laurel tore through her entire wardrobe before eventually just going with her favorite t-shirt and her only comfortable pair of jeans.

Just as she was considering lighting a candle or something, there was a knock on the door, saving her from going too far.

Dinah was at the door, looking imposing in her work clothes.

"Hey," Laurel said with a small smile that wasn't returned.

"Do you want something to drink?" she asked, hoping to loosen the tension in the air.

"Whatever you're having is fine," Dinah said. "Tell me about the McArthur case."

Laurel nodded and grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses from the kitchen before making her way to the living room where her work files were stacked on the coffee table.

"So the case started out with three witnesses..."

\---

Laurel wasn't sure how long they'd been talking for when they finally figured out the discrepancy.

She expected Dinah to leave, but she was pleasantly surprised when the conversation naturally turned to work, and then other topics, and before either of them knew it they'd finished the entire bottle of wine and hours had passed.

Dinah looked down at her watch and started when she saw the time. "I have to get home, we have work tomorrow!" she said, perhaps slightly louder than she'd intended.

She stood up quickly and instantly felt dizzy, swaying a bit before collapsing back onto the couch.

She tried to stand up again but Laurel pulled her back down and said, "Don't you dare drive right now," in a slurred voice.

Dinah tried to get up again, struggling to get out of Laurel's grip. "I have work tomorrow," she said.

"You'll kill someone," Laurel replied. "I'm serious. At least wait an hour."

Dinah grumbled in annoyance, but even drunk she had enough empathy to know that her sleep schedule wasn't worth endangering other peoples' lives- or her own for that matter.

She let herself be pulled back down onto couch, and landed on Laurel's lap in the process. She was too tired to get up, and why should she anyway? Laurel felt nice and warm against her, and it felt good to be close to another person. The fact that said person was Laurel was irrelevant. At least that was what she tried to tell herself.

At first when Dinah fell into her arms Laurel allowed herself to enjoy it. She was pretty tipsy herself, so she didn't think anything of it when she started tracing patterns on Dinah's arm, or when she rested her head on top of Dinah's.

It was only when Dinah fell asleep in her arms and the alcohol started to wear off that Laurel started to feel guilty.

Because as much as it filled her heart with contentment to have Dinah so close, she knew the other woman wouldn't want this if she was sober.

With a sigh, she picked Dinah up, teetering slightly, and carried her into the bedroom.

She placed her gently down on her unmade bed and tucked Dinah's hair behind her ear before she had the sense to stop herself.

She considered taking her shoes off for her, but that felt like taking it too far. It would pop the invisible bubble that she'd created to protect her feelings from the world.

She slunk out of her own room, feeling shitty. Then she collapsed onto the couch and took deep breaths, trying not to think about Dinah.

\---

Dinah woke up to her phone alarm going off in her pocket in a bed that was not her own. The events of the night before came back to her and she stumbled out of the bedroom in search of some Advil.

She smiled when she saw Laurel laying on the couch, her face squished into her pillow.

She picked up the pillow from a nearby chair and threw at at Laurel to wake her up, worried about the direction her thoughts would go if she stared for too long.

Laurel flinched before the pillow even hit her and rolled off the couch and onto the floor.

Dinah burst out laughing as Laurel's eyes frantically searched the room, a small smile alighting her features when she saw who the culprit was.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," she said dryly, wincing slightly as a headache pounded away behind her eyes.

She went to go get some Advil, followed by Dinah.

"Did you carry me to your bed?" Dinah asked.

"No you got their by magic," Laurel replied, hoping that sarcasm would distract her.

Unfortunately, luck had never really been on her side.

"Why?" Dinah asked curiously.

Laurel shrugged. "It seemed like the right thing to do. Good person in training, remember?"

She reached into her extensive first aid cabinet for the Advil, but froze when she felt Dinah's presence directly behind her.

Dinah snaked her arms loosely around Laurel's waist. "Well, I appreciate it," she said, before pressing a gentle kiss to Laurel's cheek.

She knew. She had to. Casual friends / work colleagues didn't just kiss each other, did they? She knew. But she wasn't horrified; and she kissed her, which meant... 

Laurel spun around and placed her hands on Dinah's jaw. She hesitated for a moment, looking into Dinah's eyes, before leaning in and kissing her soundly.

Dinah responded immediately, pulling her close.

They separated after a moment, faces close together, catching their breath.

Then, without breaking eye contact, Dinah moved forward, forcing Laurel to step back until she hit the wall.

"We're going to be late for work," Laurel whispered.

"Work can wait. This can't."


End file.
